Qatar's heritage jewel – The 18th century town at Al Zubarah is well-planned with many of the streets running at right angles to one another and some neighborhoods built according to a strict grid pattern.

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Photos:Qatar's first World Heritage site

Pearl trading – It location was perfect for 18th and 19th century merchant traders.

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Photos:Qatar's first World Heritage site

Modern Qatar – At its peak, Al Zubarah was host to between 6,000 and 9,000 citizens. Today Qatar's capital of Doha is home to over 1.3 million people.

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Photos:Qatar's first World Heritage site

Qatar's heritage jewel – Al Zubarah's economy was sustained by the pearl diving season which took place during the long summer months and drew in Bedouin from the interior of Qatar.

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Photos:Qatar's first World Heritage site

Qatar's heritage jewel – In the 18th century, a vast wall encircled the town and its bay in a 1.6 mile arc. The wall was defended by 22 semi-circular towers placed along the walls at regular intervals.

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Photos:Qatar's first World Heritage site

Qatar's heritage jewel – For the last hundred years a layer of sand has covered the site providing protection from the elements for the site's impeccably preserved courtyards, boulevards, palaces, and mosques.

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Photos:Qatar's first World Heritage site

Other sites – UNESCO also added a number of other cultural sites to its list including six grand forts of India's Rajasthan state. Enclosed within defensive walls are major urban centers, palaces, trading centers and temples.

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Photos:Qatar's first World Heritage site

Other sites – The historic sites of Kaesong city, in southern North Korea, include 12 separate components that highlight the history and culture of the Koryo Dynasty from the 10th to 14th centuries.

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Photos:Qatar's first World Heritage site

Heritage listed – Built between the 15th and 17th centuries, the 12 villas and two gardens that make up Tuscany's Medici Villas and Gardens highlight an innovative system of rural construction in harmony with nature and dedicated to leisure, the arts and knowledge, says UNESCO.

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Photos:Qatar's first World Heritage site

Heritage listed – The World Heritage Committee has decided to place the six World Heritage Sites of the Syrian Arab Republic on its "List of World Heritage in Danger" so as to draw attention to the risks they are facing because of the current situation in the country, says the committee.